Riverside Avenue from Division to Monroe

The City of Spokane is developing a project to rebuild Riverside Avenue in downtown Spokane between Division and Monroe streets. Much of this section of Riverside is included in the route of Spokane Transit Authority's Central City Line (CCL), a planned 6-mile bus rapid transit route.

In 2018, the City sought feedback from citizens on possible features of the project that could enhance the street's appearance and economic vitality. That feedback was centered around how traffic could be configured along Riverside, specifically looking at parking, lane configurations, and CCL stop locations.

Survey data from citizens and property and business owners along Riverside led to the following recommendations for Riverside.

A three-lane street with one travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane.

Parking along the curb, and the potential use of angled parking to increase the number of stalls.

Addition of bike facilities (as fits with parking priority).

Curbside transit stops. East-bound stops will be consolidated out of the travel lane. West-bound stops will be efficient CCL stops in travel lanes.

Use of “paint and planters” for curb bumpouts between Wall and Washington

Next Steps

The next step for Riverside includes a few additional important decisions.

Work has been completed to analyze the use of angled parking along the corridor, and how that would coordinate with typical bike lanes or parking-protected bike lanes (cycle tracks).

The results of this analysis were shared in a public meeting February 7, 2019. A presentation used in the meeting can be viewed here. An online survey is linked to the end of the presentation. The survey will be open until February 28th, 2019.

Long-Term Schedule

Construction on the Riverside project will be done over three construction phases, the first one beginning as early as 2021.

The first phase, which could occur in 2021 depending on funding availability, will include a full reconstruction of the area from Division to Washington streets. The area between Washington and Wall would receive a maintenance grind/overlay during this first phase to improve the roadway surface.

Based on the next funding opportunities, the second and third phases, from Washington to Wall and from Wall to Monroe respectively, are now being planned in the 2022-2024 time period.